A Pirate's Life
by Lieutenant Side Salad
Summary: Captain Capsize and Skipper Redbeard were born to be pirates, like most Ianarean children. No matter the hardships that befell them, they were destined for the sea. A tale of how two brave pirates came to be, and how they lived before they discovered the Island of Mianite.
1. Prologue

The Pirates of Ianarea were actually less of pirates and more of privateers. True, they both looted and plundered ships and port towns, but they did have distinctive differences. The inhabitants of Ianarea had a code of morals for one thing, and they followed a God as well. As privateers, Ianarean pirates were more or less authorized in their havoc-wreaking, since Lady Ianite had never spoken against their ways. They refused to harm children or innocents, and only attacked women if for a good reason, like if the woman was attacking them first. There was an unspoken rule of never attacking another Ianarean ship, unless you planned on turning traitor.

That had lots of other customs as well, like always returning home to worship their Lady. Most ships would return once a week for church visits, while ships that regularly traveled further from home would return every two months. Very rarely would a ship from Ianarea leave and not return to it's birthplace. Even the feathers in the Captain's hats held an ancient custom of Ianarea; a Dove's feather to show the peace of their God and a Hawk's feather during times of war or severe danger, with the hope of carrying them to a quick victory or triumph.

Ianarean children are raised from birth in the prospect of being a pirate. It doesn't always work, for some people aren't meant to be at sea no matter how much of it runs through their blood, and those children who wish to keep their boots resting on solid ground stay home and help keep Ianarea running smoothly. It is one of the highest honors for an Ianarean child to finish their schooling and immediately set sail on a ship of their own, it is what nearly every child born on the island strives for. Samuel and Allis Eaton were no different.

Many Ianarean surnames are taken from things about the island or the ocean surrounding it. The Eaton children got their name from the water surrounding them, of course. Names were always a huge part of the island's culture, a pirates alias was chosen by their family at birth. On rare occasions their nickname could be changed, normally by some heroic exploit or devastating misdeed. Samuel Eaton was given the pirate name of Redbeard, as he had a shock of orangey-brown hair that was a telltale trait of the Waters family. Allis Eaton's epithet was more of a burden, being called Capsize because her grandparents ship was sunk on the day of her birth.

A common fault of Ianareans, though, was to judge a child based upon their name rather than their prowess or family skill. Samuel would be judged on normal standards, for his name would remind most of them of ancient pirates of legend like Blackbeard or Graybeard. Allis, on the other hand, would have to work twice as hard to prove her worth, because the islanders would only ever associate her skills with the tragic crash she had gotten her name from. Even her parents would fall victim to this unfair mindset, encouraging and enabling her brother more than her.

This judgment would only be a minor set back for Allis, for like most Ianarean children, she was born with a fighting spirit and a tough heart. Piracy ran through her veins and adventure strengthened her will. A born captain and leader, she would rise to the top no matter what hardships befell her. The life of a pirate or privateer was never going to be easy, but an Ianarean child will always push onward.

_AN: I realized that I love Captain Capsize and Skipper Redbeard too much to not write a backstory for them. I don't know quite yet how many chapters this will be, but I'd like to make it about as long as "To A Good Home", give or take a few chapters._

_Also, "The Stranger's God" will be on hiatus for a little while. I know I said I wasn't going to write/post anything until Friday, but I've had this sitting around in my documents for weeks now and I figured I might as well post it. Writing is actually pretty therapeutic for me, so hopefully this project with help settle my anxiety a little bit. _


	2. A Visit

Samuel Eaton was a very attentive three-year-old. Even at his young age he picked up on a lot. He could tell that his grandparents were very well respected and to him they were as powerful as Lady Ianite herself. His parents doted on him left and right, constantly commenting on how he would surely follow in his grandfathers footsteps and be one of the best pirates on the island. Despite all of this, he never felt particularly attached to anyone in his family. Of course, he would love them, they _were _his family after all, but even as a toddler he felt restless at home.

That is, until his parents made a startling announcement. He was going to have a little sister. This concept of another human being in the family, one they couldn't show him yet, intrigued his young mind. The other young children his age all had older or younger siblings, but Samuel had spent his first three years being an only child. The preparation for a new baby was surprising too. So many things changed about the way that he had lived. He waited months and months for his parents to let him see this "sister" of his, not fully understanding the concept of babies since he was so young.

And finally, one day, shortly after he had turned four, he got to see her. His father carried him into the tiny hospital which, due to the fact that the island wasn't all that huge and didn't have many inhabitants who weren't out at sea, was really nothing more than a large house modified into a medical facility. The day would stick with Samuel for years to come, as the day he found the family member who meant everything to him. Samuel stood at his mother's bedside, staring curiously at the blanket-wrapped bundle in her arms. His father lifted him up onto the bed and he leaned over to stare at his younger sibling.

The baby was tiny and odd-looking, in Samuel's opinion, but he felt a surge of protectiveness rush through him. This was his little sister, a friend to play with one day and a sibling to share the ups and downs with. Samuel liked his new little sister.

"Sammy, say hello to your new sister. Her name is Allis." His mother's exhausted voice broke the peaceful silence.

Samuel gazed down at Allis for a long time, his small amber-y brown eyes fixed on hers. Then a smile broke across his round face and he reached out to fix the blanket that wasn't wrapped around her quite right.

"Hi, Allis. Were gon' be the bes pirates in Ianarah." He tiny mouth struggled on a few words, but his family understood.

Allis's birth marked a sad day, as the day that Ianarea lost two of it's greatest pirates, but it also marked the start of a new era. With two small children that shared the same blood as the Senior Eatons, everyone on the island rejoiced in the new additions and prayed to Lady Ianite that they grew to make their grandparents proud.

-3 years later-

Tiny Allis tottered around near the waters edge, her six, almost seven, year old brother following after dutifully. He was a perfect example of what every big brother should be; He played with Allis whenever he could, took her to the beach to teach her to swim, and told stories of a pirates life to introduce her to their culture. They had spent the day crafting little, hand-sized boats and testing them out in the sea, and now that the sun was setting they were chasing crabs around the shallows.

As Allis ran about the sand and waves, Samuel couldn't help but notice the stares burning at them from further up the shore. He glanced to the side casually and succeeded in catching them mid-turn out of the corner of his eye. He knew why they were staring and it wasn't because of him. Angry thoughts plagued Samuel's mind as he turned away and focused on watching his sister again.

With the sinking of their grandparents ship and the swarm of storms that seemed to inhabit that region now, they had gotten less food imported to the island. By no means were they starving, but the people of Ianarea had long since grown accustomed to the variety of exotic foods that the pirates brought home, instead of their home grown breads and fruits. As falsely superstitious as most pirates are, they found blame in Samuel's tiny sister. A bad omen, they called her. As if it was her fault that their grandparents ship had sunk.

It hurt him to think about it too much. His sister was still so young and innocent, she had no idea about the looks being thrown so unfairly at her. It hurt Samuel even more to realize that she wouldn't stay that way for long, she was as intelligent as he had been when he was that young and it was only a matter of time before she realized that not everyone was as fond of her as he was. Even their own parents had fallen into the trap of believing the superstitions. More than once Samuel had overheard them cursing her name at a bit of bad luck or a rough day at sea.

_"It's not their fault, Samuel."_

He jumped at the sudden voice, spinning around with a gasp. A faded figure stood in front of him and he had to blink several times to make sure he was really seeing her.

"L-lady Ianite?" He asked, his voice so quiet that even he could barely hear it.

_"I am here, and before you ask, only you can see me right now."_

With breaths coming quick and shallow, Samuel struggled to think of what he should do. He could scarcely believe his eyes, why would Lady Ianite come to him of all people? Shouldn't she be visiting the islands priest instead of a random six-year-old child?

"Are you lost, my lady?"

"_No, my child. I have come to see you, because you need me. Like I said before, it is not your parents fault."_ The goddess' laughter sounded like bells chiming.

"It's not fair, though! Allis hasn't done anything, but everyone judges her just because of what they called her. _Capsize._" He spat the last word angrily.

"_She will learn to live with that name and they will learn that her name does not define her, her actions will speak louder than their words."_

Samuel could feel himself tearing up and he grit his teeth, "Promise?"

_"I promise."_

He felt a calming peace wash over him and he turned to look at his sister, who was now trying her best to block one of the crabs off from his home. When he looked back Lady Ianite had disappeared and for a moment he wondered if he had imagined the whole encounter. Then he heard her soft voice ring through the darkening sky, with something that only he could hear;

_"Tell the tale, the ocean waves  
>Of a stormy sea a pirate braves<br>Brother strong shall restore  
>The idol of a fallen shore."<em>

_AN: The poem above was written by Enderdeath731, go tell her how amazing her writing is! Anyway, I'm not as happy with the beginning of this chapter, but the end is pretty good. I like the next two chapters better, so let's hope the story picks up well from there. Just one more day until I'm off for Winter Break, woo! I've been feeling better with the whole anxiety thing too, so hopefully I'll get some more writing done today too._

_And just for the heck of it, why don't I engage my audience a bit with this story? I think I'll leave a question at the end of each chapter. Today's Question; Who's your favorite of the Mianite pirates? (I'm sure you can all guess who mine is xD)_


	3. I'm Sorry

"Allis, what did you do?"

Their parents were furious, and rightly so. It was the third day in a row that his sister had come home with new bruises and cuts. She now sported a black eye, a bruised lip, and identical cuts on either cheek. Samuel kept his eyes fixed on the ground as the two of them stood in the doorway, while Allis had her chin raised in defiance. He wanted to tell her to just apologize, that they could avoid this argument again, but he knew that Allis was much to proud for that.

Allis was destined to be a troublemaker from the moment that she was introduced to another child. With an independent, feisty nature, paired with a tongue sharp enough to cut through steel, she made more enemies than friends. She wouldn't let any kid get away with insulting her, and her unfortunate nickname meant that they tried to as often as they could. The chestnut-haired girl was a born pirate, and living in Ianarea only reinforced that fact.

"Atticus said that it was stupid of them to teach me how to sail, 'cause I would sink all the practice ships. So, I punched him. In the face."

"Allis! How many times do we have to tell you? If the other kids are teasing you, tell an adult instead of fighting.

"They wouldn't do nothing anyway. They'd probably laugh too." She muttered, staring at her boots.

Samuel felt part of him crack, even though he'd heard the same thing three times now. Their parents ignored her comment, turning to him instead. Flinching, he could already guess what they would say next, and he wished the ground would open up and swallow him before they could.

"Why can't you be more like your brother? He's friends with all the kids, and everyone has nothing but good things to say about him." Their dad asked, his tone disapproving.

"How did we end up with one poster child and one screw-up? I don't know what I did to deserve this." Their mother cried out in dismay, turning away.

Just like the days before, his sister spun around and ran off, slamming the door behind her. Samuel gulped and remained where he was. His father stared at the door with narrow eyes and then walked to his room with stiff, angry steps. The stream of hurtful phrases, all aimed at Allis, continued to sound from the kitchen; A sign that his mother was still upset too. The poor boy didn't know what to do, every day before he had just gone to his room so that he didn't have to face his sister when she came back. Clenching his fists, he slowly turned around and walked out of the door too. His parents would be worried about him, but he didn't care at this point...Allis needed him.

Since he hadn't followed her on other days, he didn't have any idea where she would have run off to. Just as he figured that she was probably as far from home as possible, he heard an odd, strangled sound. Samuel followed the quiet noises until he found a hole along the back side of the house, the sounds seemed to be originating from there. Leaning down, he could make out a huddled figure underneath the house once his eyes adjusted to the gloom. Allis was staring back at him, her eyes flashing through the darkness.

"What do you want?"

"I can't fit down there, Allis. Why don't we walk to the beach together?"

"I said 'What do you want?'"

Samuel still didn't answer her, but he offered his hand to help her out of the little hole she was hiding in. It was clear that she didn't want to move, but eventually her tough, outer shell cracked and she sniffed loudly before taking his hand. He lifted her up and helped brush the dirt from her clothes, noticing that she had slick streaks falling from her eyes. She had been crying. Had she cried like this everyday after the fights? Why hadn't he tried to find her before? His heart felt heavy as he realized how he had been failing his sister. He _had _to make it up to her somehow.

"Are we going to the b-beach or not?" She said with an upturned nose, her stutter killing any display of independence she had attempted.

"Of course, come on! I'll race you!"

They stared at each other for a couple seconds, and Samuel was afraid she would refuse and climb back under the house, but then a smile broke through her tear-stained face and she took off across the island. He stumbled and then dashed after her, surprised by how fast she was moving. How long had it been she he last noticed how well she was getting along? He had been so wrapped up in his own schooling that he barely noticed his sister's progress.

She beat him by a landslide, arriving long before the sandy shore even reached his line of sight. The tears had been wiped away and the smirk on her face made it hard to believe she had been broken and distraught only minutes before. The haunting depression hadn't been completely chased from her dark, brown eyes, but at least it was tempered by excitement now.

"So, what do I win?"

"N-nothing...it was just... for fun." Samuel managed between panting breaths.

Allis scowled at him playfully and jumped from one foot to another, showing how much more fit she was than him.

"Don't tell me you're tired already. We haven't even raced to the lighthouse yet!"

"Oh no, I forfeit!" He cried in mock dismay, collapsing onto the ground with a smile on his face.

Taking advantage of his helpless position, Allis jumped on him and they wrestled in the sand. Laughter broke the quiet air as she began tickling him, a maniacal grin on her face. Samuel laughed until he couldn't breath, begging her to grant mercy on him.

"There is no mercy for quitters!"

"Noo! Allis please!"

They finally broke apart, both laughing and gasping for air. They both lay on their backs, staring at the sky that was just starting to get the slightest hint of pink from the setting sun. Allis had gone quiet now, the smile falling from her face. Something in the sky had brought back her earlier worries, but Samuel didn't know what.

"Do you think that mum and dad wish I had never been born?" She asked after a while.

"Of course not!"

His sister didn't look convinced, refusing to look at him and he was sure that tears were seconds away from falling again.

"Well, I can't speak for them...I guess. But I do know one thing; _I'm _glad that you were born, and I'm proud to have such a great sister."

Allis turned to him with questioning eyes, begging for his words to be truth. _I can't believe I ever let her think that I didn't love her, like mum and dad, _He thought. Samuel could feel his own eyes grow wet, but he didn't fight the tears. They could suffer through sadness together, he owed it to her.

"Why would anyone be proud of me?"

"Everyone should be proud of you, Allis. One day, you'll be the greatest pirate to ever set sail from Ianarea." He stated matter-of-factly, recalling a half-buried memory from years earlier. Lady Ianite had faith in her, so why couldn't everyone else?

He could tell that she doubted his words at first, but slowly peace flooded through her eyes. Even if his prediction didn't come true, it still comforted her to know that at least _someone _believed in her. They stayed like that for hours, just staring at the sky and talking. Allis voiced all the problems that plagued her, and Samuel spoke of all of his regrets in not being there for her. By the time the light faded from the sky completely they had cried themselves dry, had talked until their throats could speak no more.

They returned home covered in sand and tears, smiles plastered on their bedraggled faces. Their parents didn't bother asking what had happened, but Samuel didn't miss the look they gave each other when Allis walked past. Looking like they were about to thank Samuel for calming her down, he turned sharply and went to his room instead, leaving them looking puzzled and lost. It was an argument for another time, he decided. For now he could sleep peacefully, knowing that he would never leave Allis alone again.

_AN: I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter, to the point where I ended up making it longer than expected and I couldn't add everything I needed to...so that means an extra chapter! Hooray! xD I honestly love writing pirate-y things, their probably my favorite group/time-period/whatever type thing, next to Cowboys/Western things. If the next season of Mianite has cowboys I will probably die of happiness._

_Also, today's question; Do you think Skipper Redbeard will ever make another appearance in Mianite?_


	4. The Boy With The Sea's Accent

_"_And the highest grade goes to...Allis Eaton."

Groans and cries of outrage rang out from the crowd of kids around the docks. It had been an assessment day, to see how well the students were coming along. This assessment was to judge their skills with handling a boat and reading the waves and sky to predict weather; Important pirating skills. Allis had swept the floor with the other kids, she was a natural at sea. Naturally, her fellow pirates-in-training were more than a little pissed to see that the "outcast" had passed them up. Even the teachers seemed less than happy to hear this.

There wasn't anything any of them could do, though, because these assessments were always conducted by the Head Priest to avoid such conflicts. In the islands little school teachers would lie and award the student with the next highest grade instead of her, but the Priest was unbiased and he judged them equally. Allis beamed around, her head tilted cockily. She knew that she had found a loop-hole in their system, they couldn't _always _overlook her.

"You must be very proud to have such an attentive student, it's been years since I've seen such a young student succeed this easily." The Priest complimented the teacher.

"Why, of course." He responded through gritted teeth.

There was visible tension between the two of them, but only a few students noticed it. After exchanging more comments on other students who had done well, the Priest bid them all farewell and retreated back to the tiny, sister island where the church was homed. The two teachers then dismissed all of the students for the rest of the day, assessments always meant they got out early. With no adults to supervise them, things quickly became heated between the kids who stayed near the docks instead of heading home.

"You only got mentioned 'cause the Priest feels bad for you. He knows that nobody likes you." A big, brute of a child stated hotly.

"Yeah, Lady Ianite probably told him to have pity on you. There's no way _Capsize _could get the best score." Another kid chimed in.

"Oh yeah? Why don't I send you to Lady Ianite's realm so you can ask her personally?" Allis retorted, rolling her sleeves back and balling her hands into fists.

A couple of the kids stepped back, and one actually retreated back to his house before a fight could break out, but the two that were more vocal just sneered. They'd seen her get in fights time and time again, so they weren't intimidated. The brown-haired girl had a reputation for taking quite a beating in her fights, so most people tended to forget that she didn't always lose. Her fighting streak was about half and half, some wins, some losses. Two on One was an unfair fight, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying.

"Go on, say that again. I _dare _you to insult my pirate skills again!" She spat in their faces.

The shorter boy opened his mouth to respond, but before he could even speak Allis struck hard and fast. She hit him square across the jaw and heard a soft popping noise. He fell to the ground with tears already streaming down his face, holding his mouth and eyeing her fearfully. She took a step forward and he scrambled backwards with a terrified whimper. She had made a mistake in forgetting about the bigger bully, and turned around too late as she saw movement from the corner of her eye. She lifted her hands up to cover her face, fearing another black eye, but no blow came.

A dull smacking noise sounded in front of her and she lowered her arms a little, peeking over them to see her brother blocking her view. Samuel had shown up in the nick of time, catching the other boys fist and stopping the fight. He pushed his arm away, the boy looking incredulous, and motioned for them to calm down.

"Come on, man. Just back off, okay? She didn't do nothing wrong so stop being so salty."

"She's the one being salty, she swung at Barley first. We woulda left her alone without a fight if she hadn't."

Samuel didn't believe the boy for a second, but he wasn't about to start arguing with him. He just shrugged and turned to make sure his sister was alright. The bully helped his friend to his feet and the two of them left, casting angry glances over their shoulders. Allis refused to make eye contact with her worried brother and just rolled down her sleeves with a mutinous frown.

"Allis, you have to stop this. They say those things to start a fight and then they can blame it on you. If you'd just leave, they'd give up."

"You sound like our parents." She spit back at him, hurt and anger flashing across her face.

Samuel struggled to find the right words, and his silence only made his sister angrier. She narrowed her eyes and then shoved him aside, running in the direction of the lighthouse. He stumbled to find his footing again and then sighed. Fearing a fight with his beloved sister, something that had never happened before, he went home instead. He sent a silent prayer to Lady Ianite that Allis would understand why he didn't follow her.

Allis slowed to a walk when she realized that she couldn't hear her brother's footsteps chasing after her. She was about to change course and go back to apologize, when she felt a burning sensation on the back of her neck. She glanced around self-consciously and noticed a boy staring at her from a little past the docks. She made a face a him, pulling her lips back in a snarling gesture. To her, he was just another bully, another kid that would rather go along with the crowd than actually get to know her.

He surprised her by standing up away from the wall he had been leaning on, and taking a few hesitant steps in her direction. She mimicked him, taking the same number of steps backwards. A smile seemed to cross his face and he stepped forward again. _He thinks this is a game, _She thought angrily. So, when he moved ever closer this time, she turned and fled to the lighthouse again, confident that she could outrun this enemy. Unlike earlier with Samuel, she could clearly hear the tapping of boots on stone in pursuit of her.

This chase went on for a while, with Allis zig-zagging around houses and palm trees easily. Every time that she thought she had finally lost him, she would hear the telltale sound of his footsteps drawing rapidly nearer. She was determined now, it had become a challenge to her and she wasn't about to lose. With her breath coming in heavy pants, she ran around the side of a large house and made it look like she had kept going. He had been running a little behind her, on the opposite side of the houses, so she doubled back and hid behind one of the first buildings instead.

She covered her mouth with her hand, to stifle her gasps for air, and sank down along the wall. Allis smiled beneath her hand, happy with her clever ploy. She didn't have much of a chance to stay that way, though, because as soon as she had caught her breath again a shadow fell around the side of the house.

"Hello!"

Allis let out a half-gasp, half-shriek of surprise and scrambled backwards across the ground. The boy was standing close to her and he reached a hand out, but she quickly jumped to her feet and ran off again.

"H-hey, wait!"

The boy called out for a second before taking off after her again, but she didn't bother to answer. Instead she chose another dodgy route and tried to lose him again, though she doubted it would work if she hadn't shaken him the first time. After a while she felt her steps begin to falter and she could hear her pursuer getting closer and closer. When she had nearly crossed the entire island, she finally gave in and collapsed onto the ground beside the lighthouse. Her chest was burning from lack of air and she rolled onto her side, gasping like a fish out of water.

They boy slowed to a stop in front of her, breathing just as heavily. Allis couldn't understand why he was smiling so widely, unless he was some sort of sadist and he was happy to see her in pain. She bared her teeth up at him, but couldn't find air enough to confront him. Instead of attacking her or taunting her, he sunk onto the ground beside her and laid back on the cool grass.

"What...do you...want?" She asked finally.

"To talk to...you. I saw you...fight those guys." His breaths weren't as labored as hers.

"And I'll fight you too."

She had caught her breath enough to speak normally now, but her chest still ached. The boy only laughed at her comment and she screwed up her face at him, sticking her tongue out. Even she couldn't stay distrustful for long around this kid, he had such a carefree air about him. It made her want to trust him. Besides, if he had set out to harm her, wouldn't he have done so already? Allis decided that she would give him a chance and she broke into a smile too.

"So, why'd you chase me like that? Most people wouldn't try to catch a girl who just outright attacked someone."

"I dunno. I guess I just thought it was cool, the way that ya stood up for yarself. Although, it was a little rude to treat yer bro like that."

Allis blinked in surprise at first, noticing a heavy accent that she hadn't heard before when he was panting. Then his words clicked and she shot him a suspicious look.

"How'd you know he was my brother?"

"I've lived my whole life on this island, lass. Everyone knows 'bout Samuel Redbeard's little sister."

She sat up and looked him up and down, trying to remember if she'd seen him around the school before. He seemed like he was about her age, so she must have. With a prick of dismay she realized that she honestly hadn't noticed many of the kids other than her tormentors, the ones who left her alone had never caught her attention because she'd been too busy defending herself.

"Er, yeah, of course. So, what's your name?"

"Ye don't know me? We've seen each other practically every day since we started school!" He teased her, a playful look dancing in his blue eyes.

Allis glanced away, feeling her face grow hot, but before she could figure out how to respond he started laughing again.

"I'm just messing with ya! My name's Jardon."

"You mean Jordan?"

"That's what I said, Jardon."

Now it was her turn to tease him, and he turned bright red as she pointed out how much his accent changed the name.

"It's just me pirate speak, yar know!"

"_I'm _a pirate and _I _don't speak like that."

"Well,_ this_ pirate does!"

They both broke into fits of laughter, making fun of each others speak patterns. Suddenly a loud voice called out her new friend's name, quite obiviously with an "o" and not an "a", as Allis pointed out.

"That'd be me dad, I best be getting home. See ya tomorrow?" He asked.

Allis blinked in surprise and then smiled, her eyes shining. It meant the world to her that this boy she had only just met already wanted to see her again. He didn't judge her like the others, in fact, he thought it was cool that she stood up for herself. Her heart felt like it was going to burst, she had a friend!

"Of course."

_AN: That's not the Sparklez Jordan, by the way, they just share the same name. Conveniently named characters are convenient. Fun fact; That chase scene wasn't how I was originally going to have them meet, I came up with that on the spot because, at the time, I had forgotten to write down how I wanted them to meet. Originally, I was going to have Allis get beat up and then run and hide, and have Jordan follow her and the comfort her. I kind of like this better, though, what about you guys?_

_Ianitethecookie: I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that xD Everyone else has been so sure he would have another appearance so I was just like oh...Maybe I'm being too pessimistic with my predictions xD (Not that I would be upset if he did show up again, they just seemed to be hinting pretty heavily that that would be the last time they ever saw Skipper)_

_Today's Question; Do you think that the next season of Mianite will start with them back on the main island, or somewhere completely different?__(I'm still going to stick by my headcanon that the Void is going to drop them off in a new world)_

_(Hey pssst, if anyone wants to play one Mineplex with me, I'm definitely not going to be on server 54 in the lobby for a little bit. And my name definitely isn't Pocket_Whale -wink wink)_


	5. Accidents Happen

Allis and Jordan made a dynamic duo; She taught him how to fight and he sharpened her already great skills. As it turned out, Jordan was one of only three kids who were doing better than her. He was brilliant, although not particularly strong, and he could read the sea like a book. He knew every term a pirate could possibly think to use, could outsmart half their class in a matter of seconds, and now nobody would dare pick on him, because wherever he went Allis was sure to follow.

The biggest problem was that he was built smaller than most Ianarean children and that he lacked the natural hardness of a child born at sea. He joked that it was because his parents were landlubbers at heart, but Allis could tell that it was more than that. Every once in a while, normally no more than two or three times a year, he would get these horrible bouts of illness that kept him bed-ridden for weeks at a time. And after a little less than a month he would always reappear, looking as good as new and pretending like nothing had happened. The light-haired boy refused to go into the details of his sickness, no matter how much his worried friend pestered him. Eventually Allis decided that it wasn't an argument worth fighting anymore, her best friend had learned more than just her fighting skills; He had become as stubborn and hard-headed as she was.

Today was one of those days that every child looked forward to; A field day of sorts. Two of the leading ships on the island had just returned from a four month long voyage, and so the entire school went out to enjoy a day of sailing, wooden sword fights, and just other pirate-y shenanigans. A competition was always held on such occasions, the younger classes always taking it more seriously than the older ones. The returning sailors often hung around the dock after unloading their ships, watching for students who showed exceptional promise. Lots of the kids dreamed of coming out on top, in hopes that when they graduated a crew would remember their performance and invite them aboard.

Teams were formed and, naturally, the most feared group was going to be Allis, Samuel and Jordan. The two younger group members were already cocky beyond belief, taking bets left and right on themselves, they were so confident in their abilities. Samuel didn't share their startlingly large egos, but he still knew that they stood a pretty great chance at taking the lead. That is, if his comrades didn't become so over-confident that they screwed up.

"Look, if we turn slightly after passing that checkpoint there, than we'll hit that current and we'll get a boost of speed. Not much of one, but it'll definitely help."

Jordan was saying to the siblings, mapping out a course with his finger. This challenge would be a boat race and it wasn't all that difficult of one either. Samuel smiled at their competitiveness, the checkpoints were all in a straight line so it wasn't really a contest of speed. It was a contest of ingenuity; The winner would be whoever used his surroundings to his advantage and pulled ahead of the others.

"Each team will choose one person to man their ship, the others will watch from the shore."

This startling announcement caused quite an uproar, but the kids soon got over it. There was no point in fighting with a Pirate teacher, they were stubborn to the core. Instead the groups huddled around and debated loudly on who would represent them. In the Eaton's group Samuel was quickly elected to go. Jordan was starting to show the slightest signs of his illness returning, so the siblings refused to let him go, and as egotistical as Allis was, she still had to admit that Samuel was older and had more experience in this field. He was happy that they believed in his abilities so much, and with a determined smile he knew he wouldn't let them down. All of the chosen students hopped into their boats and tensed, flashing glances at each other like they didn't trust one another to not pull something tricky.

"On your marks...get set...GO!"

At the teachers command the boats jumped into movement and whoops sounded from their drivers. A couple of them fell behind immediately, but the rest of them were all neck and neck. Samuel eyed the checkpoint that Jordan had pointed out earlier, rounding it quickly and shifting his course to hit the current. He broke into a happy grin as he felt his boat speed up like the younger boy had predicted and he saw that he was starting to pull ahead of the rest of them. _I've got this for sure! _

And just like that, as this simple thought crossed his mind, everything quickly spiraled downhill. It started with a boy who saw that he was quickly losing ground to the others and that boy just so happened to have a few tricks up his sleeve for just such an occasion. Using a slingshot, he shot a few sharp projectiles at the kid nearest him and they sliced through the sail of the boat easily. Losing control of her boat and quickly panicking, the girl in the now-ruined boat threw herself over the edge. Samuel heard the splash and looked back, wondering why on Earth anyone would just abandon their boat; And that's when time seemed to slow down for him.

The girl had jumped out because her boat was out of control and jostled around, careening straight for Samuel. He had a couple of seconds to move, but fear struck him immobile as he tried to choose between jumping out of his own boat or trying to steer out of the way. Wasting his only chance at avoiding the collision, he didn't even have time to brace himself before they crashed into each other, sending splinter-y pieces of wood every which way.

Watching in horror from the shore, Allis and Jordan flinched as they heard a loud scream of agony rise from the wreck. Something bad had happened, worse than just the boats hitting each other. The children that had been left behind all froze with gasps of dismay, they had no idea what to do. Luckily, there were adults who _did _know what to do around. Two of the sailors ran to the end of the dock and dove into the water, one swimming off to assist the girl who was making her way back to shore and the other moving towards Samuel as fast as he possibly could.

When the man brought her brother ashore Allis struggled not to back away in fright. There was a large gash in one of his legs that was still oozing blood and his skin had turned very pale, she wasn't even sure if he was conscious. The teachers forced all of the kids to stay back and give the older pirates room, the one who had retrieved Samuel quickly passed him to a stronger looking guy and he started off towards the island's hospital with long strides. Allis and Jordan stood by as he did, the teacher not even allowing them to follow despite him being Allis's brother, with worry and shock plastered on their faces.

The field day continued on as planned, although with a little hesitance at first, to distract the kids from the accident. Most of them soon got over the shock and were competing with one another again; All except Allis and Jordan. They fell further and further behind on the scoreboard, but neither of them really cared anymore. The only thing on their mind was a desperate question; Would Samuel be okay?

_x X x_

Samuel slowly blinked his heavy eyes open, surprised to find that he felt oddly numb and peaceful. He remembered seeing the boat hurtling towards him and then half-blurred images of someone carrying him through the water...so shouldn't he be in pain, or something? Lifting his head up to look around, he realized that he was in one of the soft beds in the hospital and a nurse was standing near the doorway.

"Ye be awake! That's good...yer parents have just gone home to prepare a proper bed for you to recover in, but I have a couple of other visitors who will be overjoyed to see ye've woken up." The woman assured him with a sympathetic smile.

Feeling too tired, and also still a little miffed, to speak, he just nodded to her. The nurse left and he heard to loud shouts from somewhere nearby, then two shapes came bursting through the door with cries of relief. Allis and Jordan came to stand side by side on his right and he turned to smile at them. His sister appeared to be shaking and he could tell that it was taking all of her effort to keep the tears from spilling down her face. He opened his mouth to greet them, but stopped short when he saw Jordan's face.

"What happened to you, Jardy?"

The boy flinched ever so slightly, like he had been hoping that Samuel wouldn't notice, and then hesitated for quite a while. He had a couple of nicks on the left side of his face, and one of his eyes was closed, possibly swelling too. The first signs of a black eye were hinted around it as well. Finally, Allis broke the silence after wiping the corners of her eyes quickly.

"One of those idiots started making fun of you...saying that our parents named the wrong kid Capsize, so Jordan got in his face and told him to apologize-"

"He had no right to make fun of ye while ye weren't thar to defend yarself!" He broke in stubbornly.

"And so the kid shoved him away, "Allis continued as if Jordan had never interrupted, "They each got some nice hits on each other before I could break it up."

When she was finishing her story, Samuel started laughing and she blinked quizzically at him. After a second he had to stop, because the force of laughing sent ripples of pain through his leg, but he kept smiling at the two of them.

"_You _stepped in to stop them? The girl who would come home every day with a new set of bruises? I never thought I'd see the day!"

His sister's face turned bright red and she made a face at him, although she couldn't help but laugh too. Soon all three of them could barely breath, all their pent up worry breaking out in a bought of relieved laughter. Thus, a happy end to a rather bad day.

_AN: I'VE HAD A COLD ALL WHILE WRITING THIS AND IT'S MAKING ME MISERABLE AND SAD. On another note, I accidently made this chapter longer than expected too...so more extra chapters, I guess? /Also this was written on the 19th, so I'm totally over that cold now/ I really like the nickname "Jardy" for some reason. So yeah, I like the parts of this I wrote before I got sick, but after that...it could use some work._

_No question today 'cause I'm too out of it to really come up with anything._


	6. Sickness

Half a year had passed since Samuel's accident and life on the island of Ianarea had only gone downhill since then. As it turns out, the sailors who had returned home that day brought with them an unexpected...guest. Along with the supplies they normally brought for the island, they brought rats from the mainland as well. Not only that, but one of the sailors had caught a the tail end of an epidemic that had swept through the mainland around that time. Between him and the rodents, this sickness quickly swept through the unsuspecting islanders and without the medical knowledge of the mainland they stood no chance at wiping it out before it became a serious problem.

So far only one person had died from the illness, but it had mainly been because they had been sickly beforehand. This casualty set everyone on edge and even though it wasn't necessarily the illness that had resulted in their passing, it still caused quite a panic among the people. Anyone who showed definite symptoms was quarantined in the hospital, and then the church when there was no room left there, to try and minimize the spreading. Unfortunately, Samuel was one of the first to be introduced to it, because the sailor that had carried him when he was injured had traces of it on him. His distraught family was no longer allowed to visit him, to avoid spreading the illness any further.

Samuel, in his already weakened state, and Jordan, with his frail immune system, never stood a chance at fighting it off. So, poor Allis was left all alone to worry about her brother and friend. All of this extra free time, which would have been spent with them, was now just a painful reminder that lives were fragile and she woke up every day with the desperate fear that today would be the day that another life was taken because of the illness...and the fear that the life would be of someone she couldn't bear to lose. Allis normally wasn't one to mope about in situations like this, so, she did the only thing she could think of that would help; She studied.

"Look, kid, we just can't risk sending anyone out through there. Especially not when our only lead on the plan comes from a half-baked pirate."

"If you would just listen ye'd see that it's not "half-baked" at all! It makes parfect sense, you're just to stupid to see a brilliant idea even if it hits ye in the face!"

Allis argued hotly with one of the few healthy captains left on the island. After spending weeks leafing through books on the weather patterns of the ocean surrounding them, she had noticed a trend. The island that was closest to them had been cut off from trade ever since her grandparents ship had sunk, because the region had been plagued by awful storms for years after that. It also just so happened to be that this island was well-known for it's knowledge in medical concoctions and top-notch sea-hospitals. Unable to reach them, Ianarea's only hope had been to visit the mainland again, but they hadn't the resources or enough experienced crew members to make such a long journey.

"Can't ye see? There's been a pattern of storms like these for decades, always on and off for several years. We're at the tail end of it, so , if we go out now then we'll avoid the storm. There should be just a little less than a week in between the storms now."

"Like I said before, we can't send a whole crew out there just because a kid _thinks _they know when the storms start and stop."

"I don't think so, I _know _so! Even if ye don't trust me, trust yer historians! Because everything I've learned has come straight from the records of Ianarea's greatest pirates."

"It's not a question of trus-"

"I trust her."

A new voice broke into the argument, causing Allis to spin around on her heels. Just behind her stood the man who had first dived into the water to rescue her brother. Flashing an arrogant smile at the captain behind her, she took a couple of excited steps forward.

"You do?"

"Of course. I've heard you plead your case to half of the sailors on this island and I thought, "Anyone who believes that strongly in their has got to have legitimate reasons behind them." So, I went and looked it up myself. She's right, Captain, if we leave today or early tomorrow then we should have just enough time to get there and back."

The other man looked from one to the other for several long heartbeats and then sighed loudly, covering his face with a hand. He stayed that way for a little bit before finally dropping his arm and speaking again, but when he did it sounded tired and defeated. The severity of the plague hit Allis all over again; Even their best captains were afraid that Ianarea was doomed, unable to overcome this trial.

"Are you sure, Archie?"

"As sure as I've ever been."

"The round up the rest of the crew, and find a couple extras to take Rory and Billy's spots."

"Yes, sir."

When the tired captain left report on the new happenings, the man, Archie, turned to Allis. She was grinning widely over her triumph, but fear and sadness still hung in shadows around her face. She had given them hope, but would that be enough? Archie reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder comfortingly.

"We'll save your brother, and your friend, I promise."

Tears threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes and she had to wipe them away quickly. She didn't know why this man would go out of his way to listen to her and help her convince people she was right, but she appreciated it. Looking up at him with glossy, questioning eyes, she couldn't quite find the words to express her thanks.

"Don't worry, lass, think of this as a favor being paid back. You've already helped me in a way I can't begin to repay."

"I have?"

"You saved my nephew."

Allis blinked in confusion and then leaned back, really taking in the mans face for the first time. She let out a tiny noise that sounded a bit like a gasp.

"You're Jordan's Uncle?"

"I am."

That's when his words began to sink in. What did he mean by "saved his nephew"? She and Samuel were some of Jordan's only friends, in fact they were his best friends, and they spent all their time with him, but she couldn't recall a time where she ever "saved" him from anything. Archie looked at her with a sad realization, but didn't go into anymore details.

"I have to go...but I promise you, I _will _save Samuel. You have my word."

Allis watched him go, waving and smiling, until he disappeared from sight. After that, she went home and began to read her books more; Because if she happened to find any more important information before they went, then it was best to find it as soon as possible. It was only later that night that suddenly Archie's words came back to her, sending shivers down her spine. _I promise you, I will save Samuel. _

He had never once promised anything about Jordan.

_AN: A little shorter than originally intended, but I've been busy so I wasn't going to have it up on time if I tried to make it longer. Tomorrow I'll post my Christmas fic, so there might not be another chapter of this until after Christmas, sorry. I'll be busy on the 24th and 25th, so there probably won't be anything posted until after then._


	7. All Better

Allis's stomach was in knots. Another four months had passed since Archie's crew brought back the medicine needed to fight back against the plague. It had taken quite a while for the people who had the worst of it to start showing signs of recovery, but the younger, stronger victims healed fast. And now, after nearly ten months without being able to see her brother, Samuel had finally healed enough to not be considered contagious anymore. The chestnut-haired girl was practically shaking, with excitement and also relief. Archie had kept his promise.

What was even more amazing was Jordan's swift recovery. He was up and out of the hospital even before Samuel and was waiting anxiously alongside Allis. It was a miracle how quickly he got over the sickness and how strong he appeared now, but Allis still had her worries. Every once in a while he would do something that would make her shiver, like go into a nasty coughing fit only to show no signs of it seconds later, or he'd have a day where he had no energy and couldn't even make it to school. He insisted that it was just side affects of being ill for so long, but his friend had her doubts.

"Ye can go in now."

The nurse's voice broke into her thoughts and she stepped forward hesitantly at first. She shook her head to clear out the clinging worries and then rushed into the room with bright eyes. Her brother was sitting up in the bed, looking both pleased and incredibly downcast at the same time. As soon as she came in he quickly smiled and called out to them joyfully, but Allis hadn't missed her brother's sorrow. She couldn't bring herself to ask him about it outright, besides, he had looked like he really needed a cheerful reunion first.

"Allis, Jordan!"

"Sam! How are you doing?"

"Are you feeling any better?"

Allis threw her arms around him before he could answer, the relief at finally being able to see him again swamping her. Jordan held back to let the siblings be reunited first. It was a heartwarming moment, Allis holding back joyous tears and Samuel trying to laugh despite still being short of breath. After a moment the embrace ended and the chestnut haired girl stepped back, sniffling.

"Obviously I'm feeling better, if they're going to let me out. What about you? And how lonnlg have you been up and about, Jardy?"

Samuel responded, although it sounded like he was finding it tough to breath. The two younger teens frowned slightly, with worry and sympathy flashing in their eyes. It was clear that even though the worst of the illness had been eradicated, he was still weak from months of being bedridden.

"I'm fine, Sam. I've just been worried sick about you and Jordan."

"Well, we're better now, so don't look so sad!" He insisted cheerfully.

She figured that he was probably putting on a strong face for their sake, so that they wouldn't worry about his frailness right now. Not able to bear the thought of disappointing him, she forced a smile too. Beside her Jordan shifted uncomfortably, like he felt bad that he seemed to be recovering so well compared to his friend.

"I-I've been out for about a week or so now. Maybe two." He murmured.

To his surprise, Samuel let out a quiet, joyful noise. He hadn't enough breath to get out everything he wanted to say, but Allis and Jordan understood. They stayed and chatted for quite a while, since Samuel wouldn't be officially allowed to leave until their parents came and got them, and they wouldn't return from their voyage until sunset, happy to fill each other in on the events that had taken place during the awful plague.

"And it's really all thanks to Allis!"

"N-no, it's Archie and his crew that should be thanked. They went out and got the antidotes."

"Only because ye reassured them! They nevar woulda thought to try without ye pushing them." Jordan insisted stubbornly.

Samuel watched his sister's face go red, like she wasn't accustomed to having people actually give her credit for something. It was funny to watch her squirm under the attention, instead of basking in it. He guessed that this was one of the few things that Allis would be internally proud of, but would rather have no one actually thank her for it. Samuel was happy to see that she at least had a _little _humility in her. The smile on his his face fell after a little while, as dark thoughts that hung like cobwebs on the back of his mind resurfaced.

"Hey, Jardy...?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you give me and Allis a little bit of time alone before our mum and dad get here?"

The pale-haired boy blinked at him in surprise for several seconds, looking like he was trying to figure out what Samuel could possibly want to say that he wouldn't want him to hear. Finally, he nodded hesitantly and then walked away, casting a last glance over his shoulder before shutting the door. Allis had fixed him with a quizzical look as soon as he spoke to Jordan, and that gaze remained on him even now. With his worries threatening to swamp him, he took a deep breath.

"Allis...the doctor told me something that I think I'd like you to hear first." He started and then paused, suddenly finding it hard to put is words together.

His sister didn't respond verbally, but her eyes were twin points of sympathy and compassion. She could tell that something was seriously, seriously wrong, but just like him, she didn't know how to voice her feelings. It was good that they could read each other so well, so Samuel immediately understood that Allis was trying to show that she was there for him, no matter what it was he would say.

"I-I...I can't go back to school!" He blurted, and her eyes flew wide open with shock, begging for him to explain.

"They said t-that...well, I've missed to m-much school already, so I would be too far behind...and even if they put me in a younger grade I couldn't make it. I've been here longer than anyone else, because I was wounded before I even got sick. M-my body is just too weak. I'll never-"

"Don't say that!"

Allis half-choked cry surprised him and he flinced slightly. A couple tears rolled down her cheeks and she shook her head roughly.

"Allis, it's true. You can't-"

"NO! There's st-still hope, okay?"

Samuel reached his hand out to grab Allis's and waited for her to finish trying to choke back her sobs. She obviously knew what he was about to say, but she was in denial. Even he didn't want to think about it anymore...but he knew he had to. Until he said it out loud, the hurt and sadness would cripple him as much as the sickness had. The first step to getting better would be acceptance;

"I'll never be a pirate."

_AN: I'm reallysupermega sorry about not having anything up for a bit, but I've been hecka busy lately. Aaaand I might not get another chapter of this out for a few days again DX I keep overviews of everything I want to include per chapter on my computer at home, and I'm using my cousins laptop to write this, sooo until I get back I might not get to work on this. I could make it up to you guys with a Warriors one-shot tomorrow, perhaps?_

_/Plus my cousins were sick and it looks like I've got a cold again -dies-/_

_ps. me and my bro and my cousin will probably be up on Mineplex until like 3am so drop me a pm if you'd like to join us ;)_


	8. Thinking It Over

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

Samuel had been home for nearly a week, but his mood had remained sullen and downcast the entire time. He tried to hide it at first, but his efforts had grown weaker and weaker. The mornings became dreaded, Allis hated seeing her brothers longing gaze as she left for school, and Samuel hated being reminded that he couldn't go with her.

The thought of having to find another job to do on the island was actually quite terrifying to him. He had never even considered being anything but a pirate, given who his family was. Besides, his body was still too weak for any laborious tasks and that limited his choices even further. So, instead he sulked around his house. Glancing over at who had spoken, he noticed Allis eyeing him worriedly.

"I really am fine, okay?" He snapped, not being able to handle the sympathy any longer.

"My offer still stands." Was her only response.

Samuel buried his head in his arms and waited until he heard his sister stand up and leave for school before he let out a muffled, angry sound. He knew that she was only trying to help when she suggested teaching him herself and it realy did mean a lot to him, but fear held him back. Allis wanted to homeschool him on being a pirate, to help him get his strength back and also to catch him up on everything she knew. It seemed like the perfect plan, except that there was always the chance that Samuel was too far gone already; The chance that his body was damaged beyond repair. It was probably a small chance, but he couldn't bear the thought of getting his hopes up only to be horribly let down. It was just too much for him.

His fears were only made worse by how his parents treated him now. He had never thought they'd be shallow enough to turn on a dime, but he should have guessed with their ready dislike of Allis when they were younger. Now that Samuel was basically crippled, they tried to act like he didn't exist. And suddenly they cared for Allis again, she was the hero of the day in their household. They never wasted a chance to remind people that it was Allis's idea that helped cure the plague. In a matter of months he and Allis had switched roles, in their parents eyes.

He could tell that his sister wasn't completely comfortable with this either, but their parents seemed blind to that fact. Apparently Allis was at a point that was beyond forgiveness, because she shut them away whenever they tried to coo over her like they once had for Samuel. If she did this in front of anyone, they would just dismiss it as a teenage phase. He could see through it, though, she despised having their attention so suddenly. Tensions had grown thick within the Eaton home.

"Maybe some fresh air would help you feel better."

The quiet voice made his head shoot up, glancing around with a shocked expression. His mother was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, an unreadable expression on her face. Samuel was amazed to see that it was her that had spoken, since neither of his parents had paid him much attention earlier that morning. He felt a prick of bitter-sweetness deep in his heart, but he only nodded. It was refreshing to have her worry about him again, even if it was only slightly, so he was quick to obey her suggestion.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I think I will go for a walk."

"I hear that your friend, Jordan, was it? Anyway, I think he's been out sick the past two days. He might appreciate a friendly visit."

"I'll do that, then."

Samuel smiled at her. It was small, but her words honestly lifted some of the weight from his heart. So, he got up and looked around like he was considering taking something with him, picked up the said item, and left. The walk to Jordan's house wasn't very far, thankfully, and he was only slightly out of breath when he reached the door. Jordan's parents must have seen him coming, because his father opened the door as Samuel approached.

"Good Morning, sir. Is Jordan here?"

"...Yes. I suppose you've come to check on him?"

"If that's okay."

"Of course, he's been pretty down ever since your sister left yesterday. He hates not being able to see her every day."

Samuel gave a small smile at this, wondering if it was just the man's personal thoughts or if Jordan was developing feelings for his little sister. He felt a rush of protectiveness initially with this though, but then it ebbed away just as quickly. If anyone had to be crushing on Allis, he was glad it was someone like Jordan, who had been by her side through thick and thin. He would still have to have a word with him, though, if his suspicions were correct; There was no harm in being cautious.

Jordan's father led him through the house and to a room near the back, chatting amiably as they went. Samuel realized that although he had known the boy for years, he had never really gotten to know his parents. His father seemed pretty easygoing, at least. He felt a small prick of jealousy, wishing his parents were like Jordan's; His illness crippled him often, but they still cared about him.

"Hey, Jardy." Samuel said when he went in the room.

His firend glanced up at him at his voice, looking bedraggled. It was clear that he was feeling down, but his face lit up when he realized it was Samuel.

"Yar! What're ya doing here?" His voice was already heavy with the pirate talk, but it sounded Even deeper with his scratchy throat.

"Visiting you, why else? Oh, hey! I brought you something." He suddenly remembered the wrapped item he had with him.

Jordan flashed him a quizzical look at first and then he focused on the package, his eyes shining. Samuel laughed quietly, it was easy to make Jordan happy since he was so easygoing, and slightly childish too; He loved surprises. He moved closer to where his friend was sitting and handed it over.

"What is it?" Jordan asked, though it was clear that he wasn't really looking for an answer.

He unwrapped it carefully and smiled even wider when he saw the contents. It was a container of mushroom stew, one of Jordan's favorites. The stew was actually hard to come by, because mushrooms didn't grow naturally in Ianarea and they had to be exported. The sickly boy clutched the bowl like it contained something very precious and then the two of them moved out to the kitchen.

"Thanks, Sam! This be just what I needed." Jordan said over his shoulder as he sat down.

Samuel took the chair across from him, politely declining some food Jordan's mother offered him. He couldn't help but notice the sympathy in her eyes and he looked away self-consciously. Waiting until the woman had left, he watched his shoes awkwardly.

"She's just worried about you, no need to act like you've just been caught doing something bad!"

Jordan was grinning over at him, and he spoke when his mother left to go to the market. Samuel shrugged his shoulder to show that he didn't really want to push the subject any further. Apparently his friend wasn't concerned with anything except topics he didn't want to talk about.

"So, have you agreed to let me and Allis tutor you yet?"

When Samuel didn't answer he just ate another couple of bites of his soup.

"You can't avoid us forever. I don't know why you won't accept, it's not that difficult, you know."

"You wouldn't understand."

Now the pale-haired boy looked up from his meal, with eyes that suddenly seemed much older.

"You wanna bet? My parents said the same to me when I was younger, 'cause of my...illness."

"Ah, I didn't mean t-" Samuel stammered, feeling guilt prick at him.

"Don't worry, I'm not bothered by it. I didn't bring it up so that you'd feel bad. I want you to listen to my side too, before you make a decision you'll regret."

"That's why I haven't answered you, I've been thinking."

"And that's not what I'm warning you about. Besides, you'll never know if you don't try."

Before Samuel could reply further, a loud noise interrupted the conversation and made them both jump. Someone was knocking on the door and they heard Jordan's father greet whoever it was. A familiar female voice drifted to them, causing Samuel to furrow his brow in disapproval.

"What are you doing here?" Allis asked incredulously when she entered the kitchen.

"I could ask you the same." He retorted, still feeling irritable from earlier.

"It was an easy day, and I was worried about Jardy, so I left early." The chestnut-haired girl replied.

"Ye shouldn't be skipping so close to graduation!" Jordan piped in teasingly.

Allis flashed him a scathing glance, but her eyes were warm and dancing. She moved to the table and ruffled his hair, as if he was a little kid, and the boy grinned toothily up at her. Samuel felt awkward watching the exchange, after thinking about Jordan's possible feelings for his sister, it was weird to watch them acting so close. It was normal, of course, given how long they'd known each other. After a moment he decided to excuse himself, figuring that Allis had some reason for leaving school early, other than just checking on Jordan; If it were just that, she could have waited until after then.

"Do you think you'll be sick through the rest of the school year?" Allis asked as soon as her brother disappeared.

"Of course not, I'll be thar for graduation fer sure." He insisted, but his sunken eyes seemed to contradict his positive attitude.

Allis watched him with dismay flashing clearly on her face, she didn't bother to hide it. Jordan smiled brightly at her with a look that didn't betray whether he knew about her worry or not. It wasn't like her to keep her troubles silent, but with her brother's depression and friend's sickness, she had kept everything inside for a long time. Even now she couldn't voice everything that was weighing on her mind, so she brought out a lesser problem of hers; What they would do after they officially became pirates.

"Archie offered to see if his captain would let us join the crew when we graduate. Er, I mean...he offered to let _me _go with them. I tried to get him to say he'd ask about you too, but he wouldn't." Her words carried a hint of confusion, as she recalled the confrontation.

"There might not be room for both of us, and you're the obvious choice if it comes down to that." Jordan insisted, and his friend missed the tone of his voice. He was holding something back too.

"But I don't want to sail with anyone if you're not there too. I can't imagine exploring the sea without my best friend by my side."

"You don't have to. We don't have to join someone else's crew...we can start our own."

Allis looked up in surprise, wondering where on earth they would find enough people for that. She couldn't fight his logic for long, though, as he stared at her with round, puppy dog eyes. Laughing, she shook her head in mock despair.

"Yes, we'll have a crew of just you and me! We'll be the best pirates to ever leave Ianarea!" She called out, raising a fist eccentrically.

"Allis and Jordan, sailing the seas together!" He raised his fist towards her and continued, "Promise?"

"Promise." She vowed, bumping her fist against his.

_AN: Eheh this is way later than I intended, sorry DX Out-of-state family members showed up without warning so I had to hang with them. After three days of being here, I can honestly say I can no longer stand 9-year-olds at all. Aaaanyway, Allis and Jordan are the best pirates, yeah! xD I typed this on my phone, by the way, so if there's any mistakes please tell me so I can fix them now that I have a laptop again._


	9. The Broken Vow

"Honey, it was for the best. He was suffering."

The words did nothing to comfort the broken, grieving Allis. Her bloodshot eyes stared at her mother darkly and if looks could kill, then Samuel bet that she would be long since dead. She had been trying to offer words of sympathy to her daughter, but they sounded lame even to his ears. It was clear that Allis just wanted her to be quiet, and after what seemed like ages, their mother turned and left.

Even Samuel couldn't console her like he wished he could. He was close to his sister, there was no doubt about that, but she lived with him and that meant her patience wore thin quicker. At times like this, when Allis was at her worst and her family wasn't enough, she had always had Jordan. Samuel wished that he could go to his friend for help. But that wasn't going to happen, so instead Samuel just placed his arm around his sister in a comforting gesture. She was less than happy with that.

"Are you going to tell me it was "for the best" too?" She growled.

He could understand her bitterness; It wasn't the most tactful choice of words for the situation. Samuel shook his head slightly, but didn't respond. After a moment Allis looked away guiltily, because she realized that she had gone too far. Samuel was hurting too. They sat together in a heavy silence and soon the tears were streaming down their faces. Samuel was too choked up to speak, but Allis found reassurance in voicing her pain.

"Why didn't he tell us, I could have helped! W-we could have gone to one of the other islands and seen if there was a cure. Hell, we could have tried to make a cure ourselves!"

She still wasn't willing to accept that there was nothing they could have done. Allis, in her grief-stricken state, was determined to blame herself for not doing anything. In reality, it was something that couldn't be avoided; Jordan had had a terminal illness. He'd had it from the moment he was born and it was a miracle he had even made it as long as he had. He knew that inevitably, he was going to die and he'd hid that from his friends. Allis continued her upset babbling and eventually stated something that made her cry so hard that the sobs choked her into silence;

"H-he promised we'd s-sail together...he promised. He promised, but he knew it would never happen."

Samuel couldn't take the pain in her voice and he silently cursed his friend for leaving them so heartbroken without any warning. He didn't like the feelings he felt churning in his stomach, but he couldn't fight them. He felt bitter and angry, like Jordan had been in the wrong. How dare he leave them all alone? How dare his family not tell them? How dare _he _not tell them! His incompetence had left them to suffer.

The broken siblings stayed like that for a long time, overwhelmed by emotion and pouring their hearts out to each other.

_x X x_

It took Allis a long time to recover enough to function properly again. Ianarea was a rather tiny island compared to some of the others, so nearly everything around them reminded them of Jordan, causing the water works to start all over again. She was tough, though, and she soon managed to move around again without breaking into a crying fit. Graduation came and went, and although many people offered, she refused to join any crew. The docks were like a forbidden zone to her now, the interior of the island was the only place she would be seen anymore. Many people tip-toed around her and Jordan's family, not knowing how to help them and deciding it was best to give them space.

The chestnut-haired girl found comfort in staying at her friend's house, grieving alongside his family. Sometimes she felt that they were the only ones who understood her pain. Her brother still harbored a misplaced grudge on them, for not saying anything about Jordan's illness, but Allis couldn't bring herself to think like that. Jordan's silence had hurt them, but he had done it for a reason. And besides, there was no changing the past and the only thing left to do was move on. Archie offered to get Allis on his crew time and time again, but she remained stubbornly landborn.

Samuel began worrying about his sister, wondering what could possibly be keeping her from the sea. From the moment she started her schooling she had intended to sail off as soon as she graduated, but it had been nearly five months now and she had shown no sign of even stepping foot on a boat. Something was terribly wrong. Jordan's death must have affected her more than any of them had thought, and so Samuel finally confronted his sister, when he could take the anxiety no more.

"Allis, why don't you join Archie's crew? You'd spend your time with Jordan's family and you'd be on the water too." He asked casually, trying to hid his misgivings over the situation.

Allis glanced over at him sadly, her eyes had large bags under them. She was having trouble sleeping, still. The hurting girl shook her head slowly and finally voiced her reasons for turning everyone down. It looked like it took all of her effort to force the words out.

"I'm not going out on any boat, Sam." Her voice sounded hollow.

"What? You can't mean that!"

"I don't want to be a pirate anymore." He could barely hear her this time and he just stared in disbelief.

"Don't say that! You were born to be a pirate!" He insisted.

"So were you, and look at you now! You're too scared to even try anymore." She retorted, and Samuel recoiled liked he'd been stung.

"I'm crippled, okay? Things are different for me."

"Not really. You could be a pirate if you wanted to be, but you don't. And neither do I."

"That's no true."

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"Wha-no! Allis, don't do this. I don't want to fight with you." His face looked baffled for a second and then he frowned.

"I don't want to fight you either, so just back off and leave me alone! It's my choice anyway." She raised her voice, and for the first time in months Samuel heard something other than depression in her tone. Not that that really helped the situation at all, since she was growing more agitated by the second.

"Just tell me what's wrong, then! Why don't you want to be a pirate anymore?"

"It's none of your business, okay? Go away!" She was trying to push around him now and leave the house.

"Allis," He blocked her path and looked at her sternly," I am your brother and I'm worried about you. It _is _my business, because I love you and I want to help. What's wrong?"

She stared at him, with tears welling in the corners of her eyes, and looked away with a stubborn scowl on her face. Samuel was sure that she would turn around and lock herself in one of their rooms, but she surprised him by speaking suddenly and softly.

"Because he's not here. I don't want to sail anywhere without him...we made a promise, you know? We'd go together, or not at all."

"That's not what you promised..." He tried to break in, but his protests fell upon deaf ears.

"I don't care. I made that promise with him and I don't want to leave without him."

Samuel couldn't fight her on the subject anymore, she had convinced herself that there was no other way. Internally, he hoped that maybe this was just because she was still grieving...and that maybe she would change her mind when she felt better. _But how long will she be like this? Will she even be able to go out when she recovers? _He didn't know the answers to those questions, so he just sighed. Reaching out to hug his sister, he spoke again;

"It _is _your choice, and I respect that. I guess we weren't destined to be pirates after all, eh?" He joked quietly.

_AN: If you guys would like to see the alternate beginning to this chapter that my cousin wrote, it goes like this_

_" gurl yo mann jus dyd. Heres a chocolat bar."_

_That is why I don't normally ask his opinion on my writing xD Anyway, I'm a little late with this chapter, but I've been at my grandma's all day again. So, I locked myself in my older cousins room to finish this. Yay. I keep accidentally making these chapters a lot longer than I intend to...oh well, more chapters for you guys, I guess! xD_

_The Return of The Daily Question; My cousin asks, "Is the Minecraft world square?" _


	10. How Not To Cope

Life had become increasingly difficult for the Eaton siblings. They'd had several squabbles about being pirates again, but neither had given in yet. Instead Samuel moped about inside or on the beach, staring out at the ocean, and Allis busied herself with what ever work she could find. It became more and more obvious that while she had been incredibly skilled during her schooling, her talents didn't extend further than that very well.

Their parents became upset with them, they were angry that neither of their children were following in the "family business" of being a pirate. All four of them argued back and forth, but all it succeeded in doing was pushing the siblings even further away. Allis started going over to Jordan's family's house more often, some nights she even spent the night there instead of going home.

Samuel was stuck with his parents, who were once again against Allis. Only this time they weren't happy with either teenager. They had little sympathy for his disability and didn't care to support him for much longer. He was running out of options, and running out of them _fast_. Luckily, the copper-haired twenty one -year-old found spare jobs to do around Ianarea quite easily. He couldn't manage the tougher jobs, because he leg was still weak and he tired quickly, but he could do enough lesser tasks to make up for that. Soon, he was making enough to pay his way into a room that was being rented out. It was an exciting new step in his life, but his mind weighed heavy because he felt as though his parents had been _happy _to be rid of him.

His sister, on the other hand, struggled to be of any use to anyone. Her work was clumsy on things like sewing or cooking and her writing was god-awful. Allis just wasn't built for the jobs that needed to be done around the island. She fought with anyone that she had to work with, or moped around and did her tasks half-assed. It wasn't long before people began refusing to give her work, and the taunt of "Capsize" was started back up by the few people who had graduated with her and not went out to sea. This time, she couldn't even bring herself to argue back anymore; She was too depressed. Days dragged by slower and slower for her and spending time with Samuel became the highlight of her day. Some days, even a reassuring chat with her brother couldn't even drag her from the depths of her sorrows.

After some time she found a new pass time, one that only kind of helped her. She would spend the mornings struggling to find someone willing to let her work for them, then she would half-work, half-stare off into the distance, and finally she would retreat to the far end of the island where the graveyard was. Allis would bring food or something to do and would just sit in front of Jordan's grave, talking to him as if he was still alive. It comforted her immensely while she did it, but it weighed down on her when she was away; Spending all of your spare time talking to your dead friend wasn't a very sane way to pass the time. The habit became addicting, though, and the days felt incomplete and even more depressing if she didn't visit the tombstone. The heartbroken girl knew that she shouldn't let her grief take over like it had, but she couldn't bring herself to stop.

Her saving grace came later, when she had nearly given in to her sorrow completely. Allis had stopped trying to find any work and hadn't eaten in days, avoiding her brother at all costs so that she wouldn't have to explain herself to him. She stood staring at Jordan's grave with dull, hopeless eyes. The distracted girl didn't hear the soft voice calling to her at first, she was so wrapped up in her memories, but after a moment she started and glanced around. Her first thought was that someone had followed her and was trying to bother her with another lecture on how to handle her grief, so she spoke before looking for the source of the sound;

"Leave me alone." The words didn't carry as much force as they had in the past.

The sound of quiet, heartfelt laughter sprung up from behind her and Allis spun around with a scowl on her face, wondering what this person found so funny about her unhappiness. A scathing retort was ready on her tongue, but when she came face to face with them she stopped short and stared in disbelief. _I've lost it...I've finally gone mad,_ Was her first thought, as she rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing the woman right.

_"I think that's the first time I've heard someone say that to me."_

"L-lady Ianite! I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Allis stammered, horrified with how she had disrespected the Goddess.

_"Hush, child, I know what you meant."_

Allis couldn't fathom why the Goddess would choose to speak to her, so she asked the first question that came to her mind regarding the phenomenon.

"Am I dying?" Surely this is what the Gods did for their followers, came to them in their dying moments? Oddly enough, this thought didn't really bother her. If she was dead, wouldn't that mean she would get to see Jordan again?

A sad knowledge seemed to hang in the Goddess's eyes, but she shook her head with a smile.

_"No, it is not your time yet. I've come for a different reason, Allis, and I won't sugarcoat this. You have to stop mourning for Jordan, it's killing you."_

"Are you telling me I should just forget him? Forget everything he did for me?" She asked disbelievingly.

_"Of course not, I would never suggest such a thing. But life does go on, no matter what happens or who dies. It hurts and it probably always will...but people learn to carry on. Sometimes by changing their entire lives, as you have tried, but sometimes...it is by doing the thing that we are most scared of and that is living life the same way we had before."_

"That's what everyone else has said...and I still don't want to do that. What makes this lecture any different from the others?"

_"Other than the fact that it's coming from a Goddess?"_, Lady Ianite laughed a little at her own joke and then continued, _"Listen to yourself...you argue that your brother should do the same thing, get over his fears and catch up on his education. You speak from your heart when you say it, so stop fighting with yourself. You know what you should do."_

"I know what I wanted to do with Jordan...not what I want to do by myself."

_"Do you think it makes him happy to see you suffer like this? To see you flake out on your end of the promise?"_

"Does he...does he watch over me?" She asked quietly, ignoring the Goddess's questions as she struggled to wrap her mind around the idea of Jordan still knowing what she was doing.

_"Jordan will always be with you, dear. He still wants to sail with you and be a part of your crew, but you won't join him."_

"It's not the same."

_"Isn't it?"_

Allis's eyes fell to the ground as she contemplated this. Could it really be that easy? That their promise would still come true because he was with her in spirit? It was true that deep down she still wanted be a pirate, but that was something she had fought ferociously because it felt like a betrayal to go without her best friend. But he _would _be with her if she went...right?

"Are you sure this is what he wants...?" Allis asked after a while.

_"It's what he wanted from the moment he made that vow. He knew from the minute he saw you that you were going to be a great pirate, and he wanted to witness that for himself. You shouldn't keep him waiting."_

Allis felt the heaviness that had been weighing her down for months finally ease up, not completely, but it was a work in progress. The closer she got to leaving Ianarea, the better she would feel. When she looked up again, Lady Ianite had disappeared. A last parting message seemed to drift through the air;

_"I once told your brother to be brave for your sake and trust in your abilities...It might be time someone reminded him of that, and told him to trust in himself as well."_

Even the world around her seemed brighter as she started walking back across the island, casting a last glance behind her. With a deep breath, she shook away the last bits of sadness that clung to her like cobwebs. When she got home she found Samuel staring out of a window at the waves that were lapping at the shore contentedly. He glanced over at her and started to look away, before blinking slightly and focusing on her again. Had her demeanor already changed so noticeably?

"Hey, Sam, why don't we go get our old boats and see how they've been holding up?"

_AN: I have this problem with always wanting to end chapters on a "meaningful" phrase or conversation. I should really stop that. Anywayyy, I'm not to good with feelsy, everything-will-turn-out-okay speeches, but I tried xD To be honest...I already miss writing about Jardon xD I really shouldn't get this emotionally attached to characters I write about...because inevitably I will kill them off in some awful, depressing way._

_Question of the Day: We'll ask one about the Youtubers themselves...how about; What's you're favorite Vlog/Update sort video by anyone in the Mianite Crew? (Since just choosing a fav content-type video seems too over done.)_

_Mine is Firefoxx's lego store meet-up vlog...mainly because I'm actually in it xD -issuperbiased-_


	11. A New Task

At first, Samuel was very hesitant about having his sister teach him. He still had his doubts about the rehabilitation working, but his reluctance was outweighed by relief. His sister had come back one day acting strangely and she had been ever since. This wasn't exactly a bad thing, though, because it seemed like she was finally starting to pull herself out of the rut she had been so firmly stuck into. A new light seemed to shine in her eyes, and even though it was tempered by depression, there was no mistaking it's glow. Something about that look stuck with Samuel, stirring a long buried feeling deep in his gut.

The feeling left him with more hope than he'd had in years, and the more his sister helped him the more it grew. It was amazing how quickly he forgot his earlier fears as his courage blossomed and the strength in his bad leg slowly returned. They had to go slowly at first, but with every day he went out on the water with Allis, the longer he could last without collapsing the next day.

"I think I'm ready to set sail." He announced one day, when he had learned everything he could from his sister.

She glanced up at him in surprise, apprehension flashing in her dark, brown eyes. Samuel wondered if there was still a part of her that was reluctant to step foot on a boat. It would be a difficult task for her, but once she did she'd feel better, just like he had.

"Are you sure? You can't push yourself too hard, because overworking yourself while we're out there could be fatal."

"Allis, trust me. We're ready to go."

"Well, we don't have a boat or a crew, or even a destination in mind." She pointed out stubbornly.

She had a point, so Samuel backed out of the conversation with a sigh. Now that his sister was starting to act like her old self, her iron will had returned in full force. They would have to prepare more before they went anywhere.

"Well, we don't necessarily need a crew, just a boat and somewhere to go." He said thoughtfully.

Allis grudgingly nodded and glanced away. The hardest part would be acquiring a ship, because finding an enemy ship to plunder would be easy once they were out there. The certainly didn't have the money to buy an already-made ship and building wasn't really a skill either of them possessed. It would take a miracle if they wanted to make it out to sea anytime soon.

And apparently miracles were apt to happen to the Eaton siblings, because it wasn't that much later that their request was anwsered. Allis had taken up a new habit since that fateful day in the cemetery, visiting the church to pray or leave offerings every day instead of mourning alone among the graves. From time to time she would still talk to Jordan, but she would mainly give her thanks to Lady Ianite and ask her to look after him well.

On this particular day, a little less than a week after Samuel's full recovery, Allis was bringing an offering of Mushroom stew. It was something she liked to bring often, a part of her always felt like Jordan would appreciate her leaving one of his favorite meals. She also happened to be alone in the church, which didn't happen often. Allis briefly wondered if the priest was overseeing another field day at the school, but her thoughts were distracted by an odd feeling washing over her.

It was a peaceful, cool feeling that caused the corners of Allis's mouth to curve in the slightest hint of a smile. Before she could turn to look around a voice broke through the silence. The chestnut-haired girl recognized it immediately, although it sounded distorted and broken.

_" Alli-is. Can you here me?"_

"Lady Ianite!"

_"Good. I was afraid that I would be unable to communicate with my disciples in this state."_

Allis looked around with a slightly confused look on her face. Lady Ianite was nowhere to be seen, and her voice crackled like static, as if it was aware that it could fizzle out at any given moment.

"What has happened to you, my lady?"

_"My brother has stolen away my body, seperating it from my soul as well."_

"Lord Dianite? The Gods can do that to one anpther...?"

Allis's voice was fearful, wondering if the dark God would go after Mianite next. If both of the peaceful Gods were incapacitated then who would protect him from Dianite's wrath?

_"I am afraid so, my child."_

"What about Mianite? Can he help you return?"

_"Dianite has hidden me from him...my brother can no longer sense where I am being held."_

"What are going to do, my lady?" Allis cried out in dismay.

_"I am already working on a solution...but I cannot do it alone. I have come to you for a reason."_

Allis let a disbelieving look cross her face, even though she wasn't sure if Lady Ianite could even see it. How on Earth could she provide any help? Surely going to Archie and his crew would make more sense?

"I am at your service, my lady." She responded a little doubtfully.

_"You have a very important job to do, you and Samuel. I need you to go somewhere for me."_

"We don't have a ship, how will I manage to get there?"

_"I can use what little of my powers I have left for that, but you must provide the rest yourself."_

"Of course, my lady." Her voice was quiet, already racing to figure out what she would need to do.

_"Gather your things, and your transportation will be at the dock in three days. I trust that you will stay true to your word."_

"Of course, my lady." She repeated.

The Goddesses voice didn't sound again, but Allis stayed there silently for several minutes just in case. Then she turned and quickly went back to her house to find Samuel; They had a job to do.

_AN: Super late chapter is super late. It's the end of a term in school, so I've been busy trying to make up all the work I missed when I had that little bout of anxiety that caused me to miss a lot of school, sorry. I'll try and have another chapter up tomorrow, but my chapters might start going longer in between posts until I'm less busy._


	12. Capsize

"Samuel! Help!"

Allis voice rang out through the storm, sounding higher pitched than he had ever heard before. Samuel could see her eyes widen in fear even from across the ship. She was holding onto the wheel of the ship for dear life as the storm raged around them.

They had been sailing for days, in the direction that Lady Ianite held told Allis they must go. After convincing her brother that the exchange had actually happened and she hadn't hallucinated it, which was actually surprisngly easy since Samuel had seen Ianite once before himself, they got as many supplies as they could gather by themselves and then waited until nightfall. Lo and behold, when they went to the docks they did find a foreign ship waiting for them.

Leaving immediately, Allis was desperate to prove her worth to Ianite. She made a fatal flaw in rushing out, though, because storm clouds had soon appeared on the horizon. This could have been avoided had they just stopped somewhere along the way, but Allis was determined to make it to the island of Mianite before she dared stop anywhere. Lady Ianite needed her and she wasn't about to let anything distract her.

"Hold on, Allis. I coming!" Samuel struggled to make himself heard over the storm.

He had to move step by step, holding onto the rail the entire way, as he tried to make his way over to his sister. When he did he held onto her with one arm and the solid railing with the other. Water raged all around them, splashing into the boat from the sea and pelting down on them from the heavens. It was a brutal, terrifying rush of noise and commotion. Samuel squeezed his eyes shut tightly and sent a silent prayer to every heavenly being he could think of, while his sister stared into the heart of the clouds with a defiant expression on her face.

Allis was clearly scared of the power they possessed, but it wasn't in her nature to be cowed so easily and she bared her teeth like she was a wild animal snarling at an oncoming attacker. Despite the evident peril, she felt oddly confident. Some voice from deep within her stirred and murmured comforting thoughts in her ear. Lady Ianite wouldn't have blessed them with this ship, or even told them to go, if they were only going to die here, right? Certainly they had the luck of the Gods on their side in this battle with Mother Nature.

And it wasn't like they were clueless in this situation. Allis had studied storms day and night when the plague ravaged through Ianarea, and she had passed her knowledge onto Samuel as well. If her assumptions were correct, this storm was nothing compared to the ones that had been recorded as notorious for sinking Ianarean ships. They stood a better chance at surviving than it seemed, even with the chaos surrounding them like walls closing in.

Still, storms were something that a sailor could only hope to overcome. You had to prepare the minute you saw it, because your options would be severely limited once it was upon you. Samuel had done what he could to secure their supplies and other various things while Allis continued to steer. She also made the choice of sailing into it nearly head-on, with a goal that was more thought out than one would originally think; And it paid off greatly.

The storm stopped suddenly, almost as if with the snap of a finger. The siblings held their breath for a second and looked around to try and get their bearings. Allis had been right with her calculations, and they were now sitting within the completely calm eye of the storm. They wouldn't be in it forever, in fact the storm would been upon them in mere minutes again, but it gave them a chance to collect their thoughts and prepare a new plan of action. And even more amazingly, they could see their destination through the fast-approaching wall of rain.

Turning the ship slightly so that they were on a direct course for the Island of Mianite now, Allis prepared to delve back into the mayhem that was unavoidable. She entered the din confidently, even when the ship began to toss and turn violently again. A flicker of doubt hung at the back of her mind as she vaguely noticed that the storm seemed more vicious than it had earlier. She was about to call out to her brother, when suddenly her misgivings made themselves more known. The ship seemed to buck beneath them, thrown upwards by a large swell.

Some of their supplies broke loose and scattered about, gaining momentum as they slid across the soaked deck. The force of the fast-moving boxes was enough to splinter the rails of the ship upon impact, and Allis realized that it was only a matter of time before something broke through completely and sent their provisions straight into the ocean. Her prediction came true seconds later, only in a more horrifying manner than she could have imagined; Samuel would be going overboard with them.

Her brother had been making his way back over to her again, but he couldn't move out of the way in time when he saw another one of the boxes sliding towards him with alarming speed. It only nicked him, but it was still enough to knock him of his feet and then tumbling onto his side. Within seconds he was sliding along the deck too, and when the box broke through the railing completely, Samuel tumbled into the raging sea with it. Allis stared after him, momentarily frozen with shock.

Then she sprung into action, abandoning her grip on the wheel so that she could run over to where Samuel had disappeared. It wasn't the smartest decision, but she was too desperate to think straight. She couldn't just let the sea claim her brothers life without a fight. The wind and water still coursed around her roughly, and within inches of the gap in the railing she was sent sprawling to the ground. A heavy wave shot over the far side of the boat and it pushed her straigjt to the opening, giving her no chance to try and get to her feet again.

The rough, broken edges of the wood tore at her skin as she too was sent flying over the edge A cold chill shook through her as she plunged into the sea, and the water obscured her vision. She had no idea where her brother was, but she prayed that Lady Ianite would spare him a terrible fate. Her vision suddenly dipped out completely, and darkness folded around her like a blanket.

Her last thoughts as her conciousness faded was of her name..._Capsize_. She was doomed to suffer the same tragic ending as the people she was named after.

_AN: Managed to get this one done faster than I thought. I have the next chapter partially typed up, but since I'm back to school tomorrow I don't know exactly when I'll have it finished. Anyway, we're fast-approaching the end of this story! :D I'm going to assume about 2-3 more chapters left to go. After this, I think I'm going to give "The Stranger's God" another go._


	13. Island of Mianite

The warm feeling of sunlight on her aching, tingling skin and the tang of salt water in her mouth were the first things to alert her to the fact that she wasn't dead. It took quite awhile for her mind to coax her eyes into opening, but eventually they complied and she got the first glimpse of her surroundings. The memory of the ice cold water was still fresh on her mind and she couldn't figure out exactly had happened.

By some miracle or bit of sheer luck, it appeared that she had been washed ashore after her fight with the turbulent waters. She started suddenly and her head jerked around to look up either side of the beach she was on. Had her brother had the same fortune she did? To her relief he had, she could see him sitting up with an identically worried look on his face a good twenty or so feet away.

"Samuel!" She cried out to get his attention.

He brightened when he saw her, relief swamping his face too. He stumbled to his feet, Allis mimicking him, and made his way across the sand on unsteady feet. There were no visible injuries on either of them as far as Allis could tell, so that was a plus. There were a few scratches from the splintered wood, but the sea's salt seemed to have done it's part in cleaning the cuts and scabbing them over before the sand could get in and cause infection. Pushing away her exhaustion, Allis turned away from her brother and scanned the land around her.

There was nothing to tell her where they were, but some feeling deep inside her seemed to whisper that this was their destination; The Island of Mianite. Glancing back at the water behind them, they suddenly realized that their ship was nowhere to be seen. Was it possible for such a large mass of wood to be completely destroyed in the storm? Allis didn't think so, and she soon spotted a bunch of debris in the water far to the side of them. The broken pieces seemed like a trail, leading around a large cliff at the edge of the sea that hid the rest of the beach from them. Samuel was the first to move, deciding that finding what was left of their ship would be the most important thing right now.

As they made their way around the rock and stone, the edge of their ship came into view. A sense of foreboding washed through Allis, even though she could only partially see the boat, and what she could see didn't look that damaged. Though she had doubted that the sea completely destroyed the ship, she also didn't believe that it could have escaped taking more than a little damage. The railings would have taken a beating for sure, and who knows what had happened once the siblings went overboard. Even this misgiving couldn't prepare them for what they saw, though.

The beautiful ship Lady Ianite had gifted them lay in ruins, washed upon the shore in the same manner that they had been. It looked like it had nearly been torn in two, the wreckage was enough to send a wave of sorrow ringing through Allis. It had been a lovely ship, one she intended to use for more than just their trip to the island. Now it's disfigured shape would be lucky to even have enough usable scraps to rebuild it. But Allis couldn't stay downcast for long, they had come here for a reason and that reason wasn't to mourn a ship they'd had for less than a month.

To be honest, she didn't actually know the details of their mission. Lady Ianite had told her to come here, but there were no further instructions. Allis and Samuel had guessed that they were to find Mianite, and help him figure out how to find his sister. Their first task would be to figure out where Mianite's temple was...and then there was the problem of an offering, but after that things-

"Guys, I found the ship!"

A voice cut into Allis's thoughts and she whipped around, Samuel doing the same. Following the sound of the voice, she could see the outline of a man standing at the top of the cliff. Fortunately, the angle he was standing at prevented him from seeing the pirates directly below him, so that gave the Eatons a chance to duck along the edge of the cliff and hide themselves from view when he made his way to the ground. After a few minutes he showed up on the beach, flanked by another man and a woman. The three of them didn't talk loud enough for Allis to hear what they were saying, but she could see them gesturing at the wrecked ship.

They stayed still for a long time as these strangers milled about near the boat, and just as Allis was about to go confront them someone else showed up. So, Allis quickly changed her mind and turned to Samuel instead. They might've had a chance holding their own against three people, but four was pushing a limit that she wasn't willing to risk yet. They needed a plan.

"Who do you suppose they are?" Samuel whispered to her.

"That doesn't matter, it sounded like that one knew we were here."

"Perhaps the Gods warned them, we could ask them about contacting Mianite." He suggested thoughtfully.

"No!" She protested a little too loudly, and then quickly lowered her voice again, "I don't trust them. Besides, what if they turn out to be Dianitee's? This island holds followers of both Gods, and I doubt a Dianitee is just going to lead us to the Mianite Temple because we asked nicely."

Samuel still looked unconvinced, but he eventually nodded in agreement. There was no point in arguing with his sister over it, besides, it was good that she was exercising caution for once. But that couldn't last long, because within seconds something cause Allis to rise to her feet and shout angrily; The strangers had boarded the ship. Upon reaching the edge of the wreck again, they could here joyful shouts from inside, stating that they had found this pirate-y object, or that pirate-y object.

"Hey, get out of our ship!"

Allis's furious call ceased the voices, and they could here footsteps rushing back to the top of the deck. The siblings tensed and drew their weapons, eyeing the hole that the strangers would emerge from. It was time for them to meet the inhabitants of Mianite.

_AN: Aaaand, I think I'd like to end the series here. Everything after this is canon storyline that you've already seen, and I'm not completely fond of rewriting canon events unless there's some sort of twist. I considered doing Capsize's death from her POV as an ending to this...but counting all of my stories(posted and yet-to-be-posted) I've done that scene about 5-6 times and I think it's starting to get old. I have a couple things that I MIGHT add later as a bonus/epilogue type thing, but for right now..."A Pirate's Life" is finished :)_


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